Page 119 of Commanding Flame and Shield
REAPERS
ALVARA
August jumped out of the room, granting me privacy that my exhaustion deemed sweet but unnecessary. The dress slid to the floor with the rustle of fabric on skin. I eyed the bed, seriously contemplating collapsing into it in nothing but my undergarments, instead striding to the corner where August had been sitting, reading one of Marcus’ books. On the table between the two chairs, sat two cups of tea. I stared at the gift for a moment, mesmerized by the swirl of steam, before shifting to pick the fullest one up.
The moment my skin touched the surface, I was snapped into a vision of August, first his worried pacing, and then his tea preparations, followed by him sitting in this very room, sipping on his cup, staring out the window with hollow eyes. Finally, he cleared his throat, turned to the cup as though he could see me, smirked, and with a chuckle, said, “Hey. I’m glad you’re okay. A cup of tea, and a nap. As requested.”The image faded, and my breath released, guilt swimming as my mind retraced the snappy words I’d given him earlier.Never a wound that takes more than a healing hand, a cup of tea, and a nap. Get over it August. Would you be happier if it was you?
The cup was warm to the touch, and a moan escaped my chest as the hot liquid poured down my aching throat. Steam caressed my face as though a hand was concealed within it. He cared about me. August. He cared about me, worried for me, and I snapped at him for it. Snapped out of impatience…and perhaps…out of ego. Ego that I would always find a way out, that I had it handled. But…but I only had today handled because he waited for me, held his ground as he stared down a demon and called me home.
One of August’s hoodies, and my favorite pair of sweatpants seemed like the perfect attire for the evening. His scent wrapped around me, reminding me of what he’d done tonight with every inhale. I downed the cup of tea he’d left, and I nestled down in bed before calling him back to join me. The bond between us went silent. I nudged again. Nothing. Anxiety coiled into a tight spring in my chest, and I peeled myself back out of bed, hurrying for the stairs. His name was on my lips as the door nearly collided with the wall with the force of my panic. But there, standing in the threshold at the top of the stairs, was a bare-chested August. Snow clung to his curls and lashes. But I had only a heartbeat to note the details before I realized there was fear in those eyes, and his heart was pounding.
“August?” I inclined my head, raising my brows in question.
“Something is wrong. We need to go.”
“Go? Go where? August, what—”
Two doors creaked open too quickly beside us, and I turned to see Aren in a fighting stance, fists clenched at his sides. Alec came hopping into the hallway, still yanking his boots on.
“What’s wrong?” He said blearily. Alec wiped his hands over his eyes, and Aphaea appeared behind him, platinum hair mussed, porcelain face twisted into a grimace.
“What in Sam Hill isthat?” Lana’s irritation wafted up the stairs, and I furrowed my brows.
“Ally?” Aren’s voice wasn’t a question as much as a command.
“Nothing. I was about to go to sleep.”
“But her magic is drained to the dregs. I could feel it the moment she landed. She could miss something.” August ran a hand through his hair.
“Myenergyis low. Yes,” I admitted. The energy around us began to swell, as though the air itself was pressing down on us. It began to press against my back and side, yanking and pulling, as though it would have me see what was out the window. At once, we all turned towards the flurries of snow outside the glass.
Well, I feltthat.
Aren huffed a laugh, but seemed to strain his eyes, as though he could peer across the city through the snow. We all mirrored the motion, scanning as many rooftops as we could see through the blizzard and towering structures. Aren’s energy twisted to the closest vibration to fear I’d felt in some time, and turned to find him with narrowed eyes, shoulders pulled back, arms loose, feet staggered. He flexed his hands.
I…I recognize the feel of him.
“That’s aperson?” August’s voice was soft, his body so close I could feel his familiar warmth against my back. Aren gave a curt nod, his brow furrowed. As his eyes widened, I jerked back towards the window. The energy seemed to swell again, only a few blocks away, and a subtle red shield glimmered along the edges, like a crimson aurora borealis. Within its center, a scintilla burst apart, like a tiny star imploding on the horizon.
“Shields!” Aren boomed, throwing both of his hands up, and ushering us away from the window, towards the wall. My feet were heavy as I tried to follow, eyes still stuck on the horizon. August wrapped his arms around my waist, and hoisted me over to the wall, turning me to face him.
I felt the Westerlunds stirring in their bedrooms downstairs as our shields opened. Shit. They’d been asleep through it. August’s eyes widened, sensing them too. In the distance, there was a whirring noise, like we were huddling under a bridge as a train passed over. Or a tornado barreling down on us. August knelt beside me, and slammed his hands into the floor, Alec only a heartbeat behind him. Their shields burst open in a blinding wave of white light, as August echoed Aren’s command down the mental bond to our brothers. Their sleepy energies barely had time to comply before the attack collided with our building, the glass rumbling and rattling, floor turning to liquid below our feet, and that distant whir became a roar in my ears. Our shields waved around us, like molten lava, threatening to buckle. I poured my strength into mine, arms trembling with the force of it. Nothing. I had nothing left to give it. My eyes burned, tears threatening to rain down as I forced my shield to hold. August, sensing my struggle, reached up a warm, broad hand, and set it against my back.
Like a jumper cable, his energy flowed through me, electric tingles racing up my spine as power surged from us, reinforcing my crackling shield. The tears poured freely then, exhaustion taking hold of my mind completely. Somewhere beyond the roaring in my ears, someone was screaming. Screaming in fear. Perhaps pain. I couldn’t sense them, read them. It seemed every ounce of who I was had been drained.
As suddenly as it had burst open on the horizon, the power shuddered to a stop. The screaming went with it. Our shields remained for a moment, eyes all turning in opposite directions.
“Is it...clear?” Aphaea whispered the words, as though she feared speaking it aloud would welcome it back. Aren, shield nearly a solid barrier around the group, strode to the window to stare out at where that light had flashed on the horizon.
“It seems so.”
“What was that?” Alec rose to his feet as our shields retreated into us. He scowled out at the city.
“I…” Aren hesitated. I hadn’t seen him lost for words. Not once in three hundred years. Lana and Ansel came sprinting up the stairs, blades drawn and eyes wild. They surveyed our huddled group quickly before turning towards the window. Their eyes came back to Aren as he finally spoke. “I believe The Reapers have found us.”
Despite the fur-lined coat pulled tight around my waist, the storm was brutally cold, my skin protesting against the bitter wind. It had only been a few blocks, but Aren insisted we walk rather than jump. Conserve our energy. Conceal our movements. It seemed The Reapers were legends before my time. But Aren...Aren had encountered them many centuries ago.
The Reapers knew no powers aside from their ability to drain the strength from their prey. At least when Aren had encountered them, they wielded no elements, not even earth, as most of The Renown did. But Aren’s first escape had been narrow without his elements. And in the centuries that had passed, the Reapers had plenty of time to learn additional skill sets, just as we did. They had been merely newborns when he’d fought them before. He was only a handful of decades older than them, and it had been as close to death as he had come in his millennium...until his run in with the crowned demon in the fall.
